As an ophthalmic photographer by day, and a crafter by night, I welcome you to a world of my favorite things: crafting, primitives, folk art, photography, antiques, thrift stores, and general weirdness! Hope you find a few ideas here; Happy Crafting! :)

Did you know that November 16th is National Button Day? Yes, apparently this is a real day, and I thought a tribute to buttons was in order. I love buttons! I use them in all sorts of craft projects and have a tendency to fill up random jars with buttons just for decoration. Growing up, my mom had a beautiful old vase filled with antique buttons that I have always admired (you know which one I am talking about mom!). I found this little guy years ago and this is what started my button hoarding:

Isn’t it so cute with the little hand-written tag? Ever since then I have been collecting buttons at garage sales. I never pay full price for buttons at craft stores…the prices are outrageous. I picked up a giant coffee that was overflowing with vintage buttons for 25 cents at a garage sale last year which has lasted me all year long!

As I said, there are random decorative jars all over my house filled with buttons…

My favorite button decoration is this lamp. I made it for my craft show but decided to keep it!

A great little idea I picked up from another show is using a mason jar to hold this small glass candle holder – it fits perfectly in the mouth of the jar. Those particular glass candle holders can often be found at the dollar store or at the craft store…you really need that exact shape for them to fit just right. You can then fill the mason jar with whatever seasonal decorations you’d like…and guess what I filled em with….

…BUTTONS! I also have others filled with cinnamon sticks, old Christmas bulbs, pine cones, and old vintage earrings. The possibilities are endless!

Here are a few interesting facts about buttons in honor of National Button Day!

The word button is from the French word “bouton”, meaning bud or knob – buttons, as ornaments, date back several thousand years.

Until the introduction of the “button hole”, buttons were generally ornamental. Some believe the crusaders introduced the button hole to Europe from the middle east.

Until the 19th century, most buttons were used for men’s clothing. Hooks and lacing were the norm for women’s clothes. After the mid 1800s, women became the primary consumers.

In earlier times, buttons provided social commentary on the era and often defined social status and wealth. The French King, Francis I (1515 to 1547), is reported to have had thousands of gold buttons on a single coat.

Buttons have been produced from almost every known manmade and natural material.

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Wow I had no idea that there was a National Button Day! I have random jars and bowls of buttons too. A love for buttons runs in my family. Not so much for sewing on buttons – I really don’t enjoy that, but there’s just something about a random collection of buttons that is so whimsical and fun. Great post, Margaret!

Welcome to Eyeballs By Day, Crafts By Night!

As an ophthalmic photographer by day, and a crafter by night, I welcome you to a world of my favorite things: primitives, country crafts, folk art, photography, antiques, flea markets, thrift stores, eyeballs, and enjoying the simple things in life!